
-
Hamilton rubbishes claims he's lost faith in Ferrari
-
Nintendo Switch 2 sparks excitement despite high price
-
Sri Lanka's crackdown on dogs for India PM's visit sparks protest
-
S Korea police raise security levels ahead of impeachment verdict
-
China vows 'countermeasures' to sweeping new US tariffs
-
Trump jolts allies, foes and markets with tariff blitz
-
France says EU to target US online services after Trump tariffs
-
Tsunoda vows to bring 'something different' after Red Bull promotion
-
Verstappen not happy with Tsunoda-Lawson Red Bull swap
-
Experts accuse 54 top Nicaragua officials of grave abuses
-
Remains of 30th victim of Los Angeles fires found
-
EU to target US online services after Trump tariffs: France
-
How Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs will impact China
-
Malaysia suspends search for long-missing flight MH370
-
Search for long-missing flight MH370 suspended: Malaysia minister
-
Europe hits out at Trump tariffs, keeps door open for talks
-
Myanmar's junta chief to head to Bangkok summit as quake toll surpasses 3,000
-
Lawson vows to prove he belongs in F1 after shock of Red Bull axing
-
Australia sweats through hottest 12 months on record: official data
-
Livestock theft is central to jihadist economy in west Africa
-
South African artist champions hyenas in 'eco-queer' quest
-
Danish PM in 'unity' Greenland visit amid US takeover threats
-
Taiwan says US tariffs 'highly unreasonable'
-
Lawson says ruthless Red Bull axing was 'tough to hear'
-
Heat humble Celtics for sixth straight win, Thunder roll on
-
Trump escalates trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
Japan says US tariffs 'extremely regrettable', may break WTO rules
-
South Koreans anxious, angry as court to rule on impeached president
-
Juve at in-form Roma with Champions League in the balance
-
Injuries put undermanned Bayern's title bid to the test
-
Ovechkin scores 892nd goal -- three away from Gretzky's NHL record
-
Australian former rugby star Petaia signs for NFL's Chargers
-
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows 'countermeasures'
-
Athletics world watching as 'Grand Slam Track' prepares for launch
-
Heat humble Celtics for sixth straight win, Cavs top Knicks
-
Quake-hit Myanmar's junta chief to head to Bangkok summit
-
New Spielberg, Nolan films teased at CinemaCon
-
Shaken NATO allies to meet Trump's top diplomat
-
Israel's Netanyahu arrives in Hungary, defying ICC warrant
-
Shiny and deadly, unexploded munitions a threat to Gaza children
-
Stocks tank, havens rally as Trump tariffs fan trade war
-
Altomare hangs on to tie defending champ Korda at LPGA Match Play
-
Paraguay gold rush leaves tea producers bitter
-
Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish
-
Syria says deadly Israeli strikes a 'blatant violation'
-
Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuits weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Europe riled, but plans cool-headed response to Trump's tariffs
-
'Shenmue' voted most influential video game ever in UK poll
-
New coal capacity hit 20-year low in 2024: report

Breast cancer drug shown to reduce recurrence risk
Even when the disease is caught early, breast cancer recurrence is relatively commonplace -- and for survivors, the prospect can be daunting.
A drug developed by Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis reduced this risk by a quarter in a large group of early-stage survivors of the most common type of breast cancer, according to clinical trial results presented Friday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) annual meeting, offering patients new hope.
The study of ribociclib, which belongs to a newer class of drugs known as molecularly targeted therapies, was described as a "very important and practice-changing clinical trial," by ASCO expert Rita Nanda, who was not involved in the research.
The majority of the two million new breast cancers diagnosed globally are in the early phases of disease, defined as stages I through III.
"The current standard of therapy for these patients is surgery followed by chemotherapy... or radiation, then followed by between five and 10 years of hormonal blockade by various endocrine therapies," lead author Dennis Slamon of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center told reporters.
But recurrence is as high as more than one in three people for stage I, and more than one in two in stage III, with the cancer sometimes returning decades later.
The clinical trial involved more than 5,100 people with stage II and stage III forms of HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, which is the most common subtype, making up nearly 70 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States.
Half the patients received ribociclib -- marketed under the brand name Kisqali -- as well as hormonal therapy, while the other half received only hormonal therapy. They continued for a treatment period of three years.
But the trial was halted early because a significant difference in outcomes between the two groups became apparent, and it would not have been ethical to allow the hormone therapy-only group to miss out on the more effective treatment.
Overall, 7.4 percent of patients in the ribociclib group experienced a recurrence against 9.2 percent of patients in the hormone therapy-only group, which means an approximate risk reduction of 25 percent.
"Ribociclib also showed more favorable outcomes in overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and distant disease-free survival," a press statement said.
While ribociclib, which is already widely approved around the world, has previously shown benefit for people with metastatic breast cancer, the new study was able to demonstrate it also improves outcomes for people with earlier stages, including those with cancer that hasn't yet spread to the lymph nodes.
The most common side effects were abnormally low counts of a type of white blood cell called neutrophils, as well as joint pain. Less common effects included gastrointestinal issues and fatigue.
Ribociclib works by disrupting proteins in breast cancer cells responsible for cell division.
Novartis plans to continue to study longer-term outcomes.
F.Dubois--AMWN